Royals claim RHP Tepesch off waivers, assign him to Omaha

Kansas City picked up a pitcher Monday who might be able to contribute at some point, though he’ll be starting his Royals career in the minors.

The team announced Monday that it has claimed right-hander Nick Tepesch off waivers from Oakland and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Royals transferred right-handed pitcher Kris Medlen to the 60-day disabled list.

Tepesch, 27, has been with three different organizations this year, pitching at the Triple-A level for Round Rock (Texas), Oklahoma City (Dodgers) and most recently Nashville (Oakland). He has gone 8-3 with a 3.96 ERA in 17 minor league starts this season, and his lone major league start was an 8-6 loss at Pittsburgh with the Dodgers on June 24.

Tepesch is a Kansas City native and a former Mizzou pitcher who was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB draft. He has gone 9-18 with a 4.68 ERA in 43 big-league outings (40 starts) since debuting in 2013.